Window shade roller



Feb. 19, 1952 R. w HYDE 2,586,340

WINDOW SHADE ROLLER Filed July 24, 1947 Patented Feb. 19, 1952 2,586,340 WINDOW SHADE ROLLER Robert. W.. Hyde, Teaneck, N. J assignor to C10- pay Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Maryland Application July 24, 1947, Serial No. 763,432

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to window shade roll-er and is directed particularly to improvements in the construction of the mechanism for rewinding th roller or applying a rotational torque upon it by which the shade may be rolled to an elevated, position.

The principal objective of this invention has been to provide a reliable, trouble-free and inexpensive rewinding mechanism adapted to be fabricated from a minimum number of parts of simple shape or configuration. A further objective of the invention has been to provides mechanism which is adapted readily to be assembled by unskilled operators in a convenient manner, in order that the units lend themselves to mass production methods. However, it has also been the purpose to provide an organization which, when once assembled, is of substantially permanent nature such that the parts do not become disassembled or out of repair after prolonged operation.

A typical embodiment of the present invention by which these results are attained is shown in the drawings in which:

Figure l is an elevation of a shade roller and r ewind mechanism in assembly.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the main elements of the organization.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line t4 showing the position of the lock members of the assembly when the shade is being lowered.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 showing the relative position of the parts when the shade 7 roller is latched in holding position.

In general, the device of the present invention is similar to shade roller rewind mechanisms previously known, to the extent that the mechanism comprises a shaft held in a stationary position against rotation by means of a bracket mounted on the window frame, a roller rotatable about the shaft, a torque spring for exerting a rotational driving force upon the roller, and a unidirectional clutch which permits the roller to wind the spring when the shade is lowered and, conversely, which permits the spring to wind the roller when the shade is being elevated. However, the apparatus of the present invention differs from previous shade roller rewind mechanisms in the simplicity of construction, the conhaving one end bored out to receive the operating mechanism.

One end of the roller is provided with a ferrule 2 having a pintle 3 extending axially therefrom. This member is rotatably supported in a bracket fastened to one side of the window frame and the construction of these parts may be of conventional design. 1

At the other end of the shade roller l, the rewind mechanism of this invention is disposed. The mechanism is in effect built around, or attached to a ferrule 4, which thus serves as its foundation. This ferrule generally is in the form of a cap having an annular portion of reduced diameter 5 at its end, a recess 6 in the central portion of its end wall, and an annular flange I extending toward the open end of the cap centrally from the recess 6 so as to form a bore or bearing of substantial area.

A shaft 8 passes through the bearing provided by the skirt 1 and is rotatably supported therein. The shaft however is an elongated member and extends down into the. shade roller a substantial distance. The shaft 8 has a portion of enlarged diameter 9 housed within the central recess of the ferrule 4, while a spear portion ll] extends outwardly from the ferrule, the end of the spear being fiatted as at I! for nonrotatable reception in the slot of a bracket mounted on the side of the window frame opposite the bracket which receives the pintle 3. The ferrule 4 may be fabricated of sheet metal by stamping and forming, or in other suitable manner, while the shaft 8 may be of cast metal, e. g., aluminum, or may be formed of a metal rod, the enlarged portion 9 constituted by upsetting of the metal.

At the interior of the shade roller, shaft 8 has its inner end slotted as at H and, if cast, the

shaft, intermediate its journal area and its slotted end, may be grooved as at I4 to reduce Weight and to save cost.

Shaft 8 is held in position with its enlarged portion'il seated in the .recess 6 by means of a can I5. This unit comprises a member, preferably of sheet metal, in the form of a cup having an endwall l1 and an annular flange or skirt 18 which is dimensioned for press-fit engagement with the annular portion 5 of reduced diameter at the end of the ferrule 4. The cap I5 has an axial bore dimensioned just to clear the shaft 8 which passes through it. Thus, the enlarged part 9 of the shaft provides shoulders, one of which is adjacent the bottom of the recess 6 and the other of which is adjacent the inner face of the cap 15. In this manner, by simple fabricating or machining operations, the parts are or ganized into a snug, but yet free-running as sembly, with the skirt 1 within which the shaft is journalled providing ample support to sustain the shaft 8 against wobble.

For driving purposes, rewind spring 19 is utilized. The inner end of the spring has a portion thereof bent diametrically across the end of the spring for reception in slot 12 at the inner end of the shaft 8, or arranged in other suitable manner for driving connection with the shaft.

The opposite, or head end of the spring is received within ears 20 struck from the end wall of the ferrule 4 at points thereof beyond the recess 6. This construction, in more detail, is as follows: Ears 20 are in the form of loops extending within the ferrule cup from the end wall of the ferrule whereby the endwise convolution of the spring may be threaded through the loops, one after the other. In the embodiment shown,

two of these loops 2!! have been utilized, at diin Figure 2, provided by slitting the metal of the end wall of the cup along spaced parallel lines and bending into the cup of the metal between the lines. However, the loops may be hookshaped as provided through slitting of the metal in the form of Us and bending the metal within the Us into hook configurations, with the free ends of the hooks extending toward the annular portion 5. Either of these two arrangements is satisfactory.

These loops or ears receive the endwise convolution of the spring l9; however, as may be seen in Figure 3, a non-detachable assembly of the spring with the ferrule 4 is provided by bending or barbing a portion of the spring, adjacent its end, in a radial outward direction as at 2 I and bending a lead portion 22 from this arm 2| to facilitate the introduction of the spring through the loop apertures. The radial arm 2], in function, constitutes a latch or look which may, through the facility afforded by the lead-in portion 22, be threaded through an aperture or loop, but the back portion of the arm 2|, once through the aperture, serves as an abutment preventing its withdrawal. When the spring is relaxed, it may be fed easily through the loop aperature; however, when the spring is wound its endwise portion tends to fulcrum upon the loop wall at the point marked A in Figure 3, whereby the arm and lead-in portion are thrown outwardly to make the escape of the spring from its fastening virtually impossible. As will be noted'in Figure 2, the first turn or so at the head end of the spring is spread from the others to provide clearance areas for the'loops 20, but the endwise convolution of the spring preferably is formed to lie substantially in a plane normal to the axis of the spring. This arrangement particularly is desirable where a fiat wire spring of the type shown is utilized, rather than a round wire spring.

The uni-directional clutch of the apparatus comprises one or more balls 24 cooperating with one or more notches 25 cut in the periphery of the portion of enlarged diameter 9 of the shaft 8. The balls 24 are housed in recesses 25 formed in turn provide holding faces 28 and cam surfaces 29, the faces 21 and 28 cooperating so that a ball lodged between them interlocks the ferrule (or shade roller) to the stationary shaft. When the shade is being drawn downwardly, as indicated generally at 3B in Figure 4, the speed of rotation tends to throw the balls centrifugally in an outward direction toward the ends of the recesses 26, or if the lowering movement is slow and a ball drops toward the enlarged portion, it will, as retation continues, fall upon a cam surface 29 and as rotation continues will be swept back into its recess by the cam surface. As such downward movement continues, the spring I9 is being wound up. However, when the downward force is released, the spring, now wound, biases the ferrule 4 in an opposite direction, by engagement of the endwise arm 2i at the end of the spring with the loop of the ferrule and, when the shade is released gradually downward, the spring causes rotation of the ferrule A and shade roller in an opposite direction. As the ferrule rotates in such opposite direction, the ball recesses gradually move past the cam 29 and thereby uncover the notches, permitting one or the other of the balls to drop into a notch. As the ball reaches this position, the abutment face 21 of the recess traps it in the notch against face 28, and since the face 28 is part of the stationary shaft, further counter-rotational movement of the shade roller is prevented. If the downward pull upon the shade roller'is released suddenly, then the spring, now wound up, causes the roller to rotate rapidly, hence, the balls are thrown centrifugally toward the outer ends of their recesses and locking action is prevented, whereby the shade may be elevated freely to the height desired.

One of the common sources of difficulty in a conventional rewind mechanism is the entrance of dust into the clutch members whether they be of the pawl or ball type; however, the present apparatus is substantially dust-proof by virtueof the relatively snug fit of the cap I! around the shaft 3, and by the abutment of the outer shoulder of the shaft against the inner surface of the cap ll. Moreover, in the preferred construction, the length of the inner portion of the shaft 8, that is. the distance from the loops 20 to the endwise notch 12, preferably is greater than the length of the spring 48 when the spring is relaxed. Therefore, when the assembly is complete, the spring, though tortionally released, is also under longitudinal tension. This tension tends to urge the outer face of the shoulder of the shaft into pressure engagement with the inner face of the cap i7, whereby a positive seal against the entrance of dust is maintained at all times. Furthermore, longitudinal tensioning of the spring in the manner described holds the parts in snug fitting relationship so that the operation of the unit is quiet or noiseless.

In assembling the rewind mechanism, the spring is associated with the ferrule, the shaft is placed through the ferrule, with the slot catching the end of the spring to tension it, and while the parts are held momentarily in this position, the balls are dropped into their recesses, the cap I! is fitted onto the end of the ferrule and a unitary assembly is easily produced which is ready for disposition within the shade roller and for crimping of the ferrule on the roller. Aside from the two balls, the apparatus consists only of the'parts described, each of which isa simple member, inexpensive to construct.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A rewind motor for a window shade roller comprising a ferrule, said ferrule being in the form of a cap including an annular skirt and an end wall, said annular skirt adapted to encircle and embrace the end of a window shade roller, said end wall formed to provide a central recess in its outer face with an annular flange extending inwardly therefrom, said annular flange being concentric with the annular skirt and providing an axial bearing which is integral with the ferrule, an elongated shaft journalled in the bearing, said shaft having a flanged portion forming radially shouldered clutch elements residing in the recess, a flattened portion of said shaft extending outwardly from said flanged portion for engagement with a window shade roller bracket and another portion of said shaft extending inwardly beyond the bearing, a spring, said spring having one end thereof fastened to the inner end of said shaft, means securing the opposite end of said spring to the ferrule, the outer face of the end wall of the ferrule formed to provide unidirectional ball clutch recesses outwardly beyond the central recess, ball members associated with the ball clutch recesses adapted to form a driving connection between said ferrule and said shaft, and a cap member having an annular skirt telescopically engaged upon the outer end of the ferrule skirt in press-fit relationship, said cap member having a central opening in the end wall thereof to accommodate the flattened portion of the shaft whereby the end wall of the cap member encloses the ball members and the radially shouldered clutch elements of the flanged portion of the shaft and serves to lock the motor parts together as a unit.

2. A rewind motor for a window shade roller comprising a ferrule, said ferrule being in the form of a cap including an annular skirt and an end wall, the outer endwise portion of the annular skirt being of reduced diameter, said annular skirt adapted to be slipped over the end of a window shade roller to the point where the portion of reduced diameter abuts the outer end of the shade roller thereby spacing the end wall of the ferrule from the end of the window shade roller, the ferrule end wall formed to provide a 6 i central recess in its outer face with an annular flange extending inwardly therefrom; said annular flange being concentric with the annular skirt and providing an axial bearing integral with the ferrule, an elongated shaft journalled in the bearing, said shaft having a flanged portion forming radially shouldered clutch elements residing in the recess, a flattened portion of said shaft extending outwardly of said flanged portion for engagement with a window shade roller bracket and another portion of said shaft extending inwardly beyond said bearing, a spring, said spring having one end thereof fastened to the inner end of said shaft, means securing the opposite end of said spring to said ferrule, the outer face of the end wall of the ferrule formed to provide unidirectional ball clutch recesses outwardly beyond the central recess, ball members associated with the ball clutch recesses adapted to form a driving connection between said ferrule and said shaft, and a capmember having an annular skirt telescopingly engaged in tight press-fit relationship upon the outer endwise portion of the annular skirt of the ferrule, said cap member having a central opening in the end wall thereof to accommodate the flattened portion of the shaft whereby the end wall of the cap encloses the ball members and the radially shouldered clutch elements of the flanged portion of the shaft and serves to lock the motor parts together as a unit.

ROBERT W. HYDE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 19,126 Burns Apr. 3, 1934 659,584 Cordes Oct. 9, 1900 704,546 Kinnear July 15, 1902 949,304 Pand et al Feb. 15, 1910 953,842 Kaiserman Apr. 5, 1910 1,132,830 Cole Mar. 23, 1915 1,938,729 Traut Dec. 12, 1933 2,487,741 Stuber Nov. 8, 1949 

